Saturday, 23 September 2023

TRAVEL TUESDAY 410 - OLD ATHENS, GREECE

“Justice will not come to Athens until those who are not injured are as indignant as those who are injured.” -  Thucydides

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.
There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us. Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only. 
Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.
Pláka (Greek: Πλάκα) is the old historical neighbourhood of Athens, clustered around the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis, and incorporating labyrinthine streets and neoclassical architecture. Pláka is built on top of the residential areas of the ancient town of Athens. It is known as the "Neighbourhood of the Gods" due to its proximity to the Acropolis and its many archaeological sites.

Pláka is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists around the year, and is under strict zoning and conservation regulations, as the only neighbourhood in Athens where all utilities (water, power, cable television, telephone, internet, and sewage) lie underground in fully accessible, custom-made tunnelling. Excavations have proven that Adrianou Street is the oldest street in Athens still in continuous use with exactly the same layout since antiquity.

The Anafiotika is a part of Plaka which reminds one of an Aegean island village at the foot of the Acropolis. The area owes its existence to the wishes of Otto the first king of Greece. Upon coming to Greece from Bavaria, Otto decided to build himself a palace. Wanting this palace to be solidly built, he enquired as to who were the best builders in the country. He was no sooner informed that the people of Anafi, a small island in the Cyclades, were famous for their building skills, than he invited the best of them to the capital, to start work on the Palace.

The builders had to have a place to live while works lasted. Knowing that it would be years before they set eyes on their beloved Anafi, and being quite homesick for it, they decided to recreate it, at the foot of the Acropolis. So, they built small white houses in the exact style they used in their home village. And there those little houses remain. Anafiotika, meaning the Anafians’ neighbourhood, is a unique and very charming neighbourhood at the highest point of the Plaka district.

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Tuesday, 19 September 2023

TRAVEL TUESDAY 409 - THE JOY OF TRAVEL

“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other places, other lives, other souls.” – Anais Nin

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us. Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only.

Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

In the post-COVID world, travelling for pleasure has once again become a viable proposition and the numbers of people travelling throughout the world has become enormous. This week, we have the beginning of the Spring school holidays in Victoria and it is surprising how many people are taking their kids overseas for a vacation – despite the glum outlook for the economy, despite the increased political tensions and risk of warfare in many places around the world, despite the increased likelihood of civil unrest and uncertainty in even traditionally “tourist-safe” destinations. 

Airports are interesting places and it is always revealing just sitting and watching the people go by. Thousands of faces, each with its own story. Some travel for pleasure, some for work, some for family, some because of special reasons for all kinds. Some faces happy, some sad, some apathetic, many showing the fatigue of travel. Yes, despite the rapid pace of travel and ultra-fast airplanes nowadays, travel remains fatiguing and the increased security measures at airports mean great delays. Not to mention the likelihood of flight cancellations and unscheduled layovers.

Nevertheless, travelling is exciting and to see new places (or perhaps to revisit old favourites!), meet new people, immerse oneself in exotic cultures and be surrounded by people speaking in wonderful, strange languages that one doesn't understand is a fantastic prospect!

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